Houston's Spring Branch Healthcare Center to close

One of the country's largest skilled nursing facilities has notified the Texas Workforce Commission that it will close one of its Houston-area nursing homes before the end of the year.

In an Oct. 3 letter, Steven Wicks, president of Spring Branch Healthcare Center, told commission officials the facility at 8955 Long Point in west Houston will close by Dec. 6. The company began notifying employees Monday they would lose their jobs, the letter states.

Spring Branch Healthcare Center spokewoman Annaliese Impink said the facility was closing because its landlord decided to sell it. She wouldn't say how many employees or patients would be affected.

"We are currently in the process of notifying residents and families, so it is premature for us to give too much detail until we have had a chance to make those notifications," she said in an email. "We will hold meetings in the next several weeks to answer questions from families and residents. We will also meet with each resident and his or her family to discuss relocation options."

Spring Branch is one of nearly 200 facilities operated nationwide by Atlanta-based Sava Senior Care. The company has 65 Texas facilities, including about a dozen in the Houston area.